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Tampa's largest union OKs contract with city

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 10, 2009

TAMPA - Members of Tampa's largest union have overwhelmingly approved a proposed one-year contract with the city that includes no pay raises and no reduction in benefits.

Leaders of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1464, which represents about 2,000 municipal employees, had been at an impasse with the city since July when Mayor Pam Iorio requested a mediator to settle the dispute, which was mostly over pay.

Today, the rank and file membership approved the contract by a vote of 348-75.

City workers have been without a contract since Oct. 1, the beginning of the fiscal year.

Faced with a $51 million deficit, Iorio imposed a wage freeze and provided no funding for pay raises in the fiscal 2010 budget. She said raises for police, fire and general employees would cost the city more than $12.6 million, forcing layoffs and service cuts.

Union leaders reluctantly agreed to the raise freeze but wanted assurances that if the city's financial situation improves they would be reconsidered in the next fiscal year.

Last week, both sides announced they had broken the impasse, tentatively agreeing to a proposed contract that includes no cost-of-living or merit raises in fiscal 2010 along with a vaguely worded provision that merit raises will be reconsidered next fiscal year.

The Iorio administration is still at an impasse with the city's police and fire unions.

The ATU contract, which covers about half of the city's workforce ranging from blue-collar workers to clerical and technical staff, now goes to the city council for ratification.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679.

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